After promises of a series on home canning and being featured on two separate and important blog hops/linkey parties in one week, why is there suddenly radio-silence (or internet-silence) from the Funny Farm? We’ve been dealing with some decidedly ‘un-funny’ problems.
First, we had a sudden water leak that insurance refused to cover. Then, we discovered that there are NO reliable contractors working in our area. Two have retired and none of the others are available due to current events. So, we have to repair the issue ourselves. Unfortunately, the ‘issue’ is 12 feet in the air. It was our large balcony that had developed a leak.
We planned, prepared, ordered supplies and after confirming that our supplies were en route , we had ‘Demo Day’ (à la Chip Gaines). An hour after the demo (and two hours before the end of our delivery window) the hardware store called to say that a) their driver had called in sick and b) they’d sold the supplies we’d physically confirmed were in stock, rather than reserving them when we paid. They didn’t tell us this when we called to confirm or give us any heads up.😡They estimated that it would take another week before delivery! 😡🤬🤯
Let me interrupt my tale of woe for a moment. This bears sharing. When we moved here, a local man, let’s call him Earl, was recommended as a handyman. There were quite a few things like crooked trim, improperly hung doors, and giant gaps around light fixtures that we wanted repaired. Earl was willing but was, in fact, an extremely UN-handyman.
We found out that the things we wanted fixed had been messed up BY EARL! He’d worked on our home’s construction AND been paid by the second owner to FIX the problems he’d caused. We politely let Earl go and did the repairs ourselves. Don’t get me wrong, Earl is a nice man, not a crook. He is also INCREDIBLY INCOMPETENT! We frequently find problems with the construction of our home (usually minor) and it’s become a regular occurrence to take Earl’s name in vain.
There was a lot of ‘vain-taking’ when we ripped up the decking and discovered that previous severe (and prolonged) leaks had caused significant damage to the studs, sheathing, and siding. Earl had simply ignored the damage, slapped new decking on, and sealed it up. 🤦🏻♀️Our job became exponentially harder, costlier, and more dangerous!
Let me just give you a bullet point summery to save time:
- The front of our house was ripped off.
- The supplies for repairs were delayed by a week.
- The forecast suddenly changed to include three days of rain.
- After tearing things down to the studs, we discovered damage from previous leaks.
- The ceiling of the porch also had to be replaced.
- We had to order (and fight for) more supplies.
- The days off we’d arranged for the job were useless because of the delay.
- The supplies were FINALLY delivered but were short about $800 of crucial items…another delay.
- Finally, a weekend off to work on it and…more rain in the forecast.
- The days it didn’t rain, it was almost 100º. This is July in Texas after all.
- Earl had used thin-set to cover the flashing which was nailed under our concrete siding.
- All of this had to come off.
- We have no replacement pieces of siding.
- It took two days and a special tool ($$) to safely remove the flashing (which then had to be replaced correctly.
So, the five of us have been hauling lumber, hanging off the balcony, sweating, and muttering maledictions at Earl.
The promised second canning post is ‘mostly’ ready, and a Friday’s at the Funny Farm post will come out this week. However, it may take me another week to be actively back on the blog. These repairs have been extensive and labor-intensive. However, I’m taking both before/after and process photos to share with you!
We love our home, but we bought it for the interior and the land. Neither of us have ever been happy with the exterior. So, these (overwhelming) repairs have given us the opportunity to make some of the changes that were pushed to the back burner after my injury. I’m excited to (eventually) see the finished project and share it with you!
Thank you for your patience! Please share your DIY stories with me. Believe me, I need any cheer or commiseration I can get!
